Bangkok
20 August 2008
Burma's opposition party, the National League for Democracy, says the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is to visit Burma in December to hold talks on the country's political problems. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the NLD was told of Mr. Ban's scheduled visit during talks with the U.N. special envoy currently on a five-day official visit.
News of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's planned visit to Burma late this year came in a meeting Wednesday with executives from Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy or NLD, and the U.N's special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.
Earlier in the week Gambari met Burma's Foreign Minister Nyan Win and held talks with diplomats and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Burma's military government, in power since 1962, has ignored international pressure to take steps to political reform and release political prisoners. In September last year the military forcibly put down street protests, led by Buddhist monks, calling for reform.
In May the military went ahead with a national referendum on a new constitution as part of its own "road map" to democracy despite the impact of the recent cyclone on the country.
Gambari had been scheduled to meet with opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday. But amid tight security at the state guest house in Rangoon, the opposition leader failed to appear and no clear reason was given by government officials as to why she didn't appear.
Aung San Suu Kyi remains under detention and has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest. Her period of detention was recently extended by the military government.